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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22847065">A festival for life</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/plazorr/pseuds/plazorr'>plazorr</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>After the disband [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Love Live! School Idol Project</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F, F/M, Post-Canon, no spoiler in the tags</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 08:22:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,482</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22847065</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/plazorr/pseuds/plazorr</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>1.5 years after the disband<br/>Kotori and Hanayo were invited to a festival organized by Tsubasa and Erena</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>After the disband [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1416325</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A festival for life</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hey, remember when i told 3 months ago that this chapter would come out soon? Yeah, me neither ^^<br/>Jokes aside, i won't make a promise for when the next chapter will come because i don't want to jinx it, but i'll try to be a bit more scheduled in the future. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter even for those of you that waited too long for it :)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>On their way to the festival, Hanayo and Kotori were thinking a lot. They couldn’t really believe it had been a whole year since Anju died. They also didn’t understand why Tsubasa had sent invitations to both of them, but not to the rest of µ’s.  They didn’t really consider themselves the most recognizable faces from their ex idol group after all. If she wanted their rivals to be represented, Honoka or Eli would have been better choices. They were certain that both Honoka and Eli would have gladly come for such an occasion. When Kotori talked to Honoka about their invitation, she said that their ex rivals probably had a good reason to only ask two µ’s members to come and that she wouldn’t come and ruin their plans.</p><p>Kotori was supposed to depart to Europe next month to work in the world of fashion and cloth design. She was already done packing most of her stuff and she was about to send it there. This would probably be one of the last times she was able to see Hanayo. She was a bit nervous about moving so far away from her friends, but she thought this was the natural next step in order to become an adult. After all, she was already really close to leave Japan last year.<br/>
Since Hanayo was on time with her schoolwork, she could easily spare a day to come there. Over those last two years, compared to before she joined a school idol group, Hanayo had grown a lot. Her experience with µ’s had made her a lot more confident. Even though she was still a shy person in general, she would stand taller than before, be more confident about her presence and start to believe in her own charms. She wouldn’t really go over the top about that last part and didn’t even consider dating any of the boys that asked her out. She was a bit envious of Maki and Rin who managed to have a more sociable life. If she managed to become a librarian after graduating, the way she had chosen, she would have to interact with more people in order to suggest the right books to them. She was determined to keep improving in that regard, but it was not easy for her at all.<br/>
On that day, they preferred to keep the future out of most conversations and enjoy their day together. Their thoughts were brought back to Tsubasa. The last time they saw her was before Anju’s burial, at the funeral chapel. There, the members of µ’s met with her and Erena, Anju’s parents, a bunch of UTX students and some policemen who were looking for someone involved with her death to show up. The mood was as cold as anyone would expect it to be and the girls stayed for a bit more than one hour before leaving the place. Apparently, Honoka and Tsubasa continued to talk together occasionally, but that’s about it for the interactions between the ex-members of µ’s and A-RISE.<br/>
One year later, it was still difficult for Hanayo and Kotori to understand how it had felt for Tsubasa and Erena. Losing a friend was already a huge pain but losing her that way must have been unbearable. This probably explains why they decided to stop singing. Given that Anju lost her life partly because of the stress that the idol life put on her shoulders, being on a scene must be really hard.</p><p>“Kotori?” Hanayo started.<br/>
“Yes?”<br/>
“Do you think what happened to Anju could have happened to any of us? Do you think anyone would have noticed if one of us was doing what she was doing?”<br/>
This is a question that had haunted her for a while when it happened and the answer was one she had prepared for a while now.<br/>
“No, I don’t think so.” She started. “Tsubasa and Erena admitted that they didn’t spend nearly as much time together out of their idol life as, well, us, for example. They were working as colleagues more than friends and therefore I believe or, at least, I want to believe that that kind of thing would never have happened to us.”<br/>
“I understand. I have the same intuition, but I wanted to know what yours was.” Hanayo said with a faint smile. “Ah, it looks like we are almost there.”<br/>
In the distance, they started to hear music and they saw the first banners related to the event. “Anju Yuuki festival” and the promotional slogan that was going with it: “To fight the drugs who steal our voices, let’s all sing louder”.</p><p>The festival gathered a lot of artists from a lot of places in Japan and not only Tokyo. There were scenes for dancers, others for singers and there were the ones with instruments for music players. The one that currently had the most people spectating was a music stage where a young redhaired girl was playing the piano. Hanayo thought that if she came to Otonokizaka next year, the piano in the music room wouldn’t miss Maki too much. There were also non music-related people on the scenes, like circus artists or theater actors. It really seemed like a place for all kind of expression types and not only music or dance.<br/>
The artists who came to put on a show were all there to send various messages about how their pleasure was important on the scene and that, in the end, this was the most important part of being an artist. There was even a scene where scientists and psychologists were speaking about various subjects related to drug abuse or stress in general. When Kotori looked at her program, she saw that the people there were currently talking about some relaxation methods that would help focusing and would reduce stress in general.<br/>
Hanayo and Kotori started to walk towards the greatest scene. Tsubasa asked for them to come see her and Erena’s discourse. She even asked for them to listen to it from the backstage. Both Kotori and Hanayo thought this was suspicious, but the only way they could see the truth was to go there and see by themselves. However, it would only happen in one hour, so they had some time to watch something else before arriving. They heard a familiar tune and headed that way.</p><p>On one of the scenes, a group of beginner idols was performing one of µ’s songs: Snow Halation. Kotori and Hanayo moved closer to see how these girls were doing. Their dance moves were a bit clumsy at times but smiles never left their faces. They also noticed that one of the girls didn’t sing well at all. It was a bit awkward to look at people imitating them. Of course, they both knew that this happened, but it was the first time they witnessed it themselves.<br/>
It always felt a bit weird for Kotori when she was walking by herself and heard a song from µ’s. It could be on a radio station, a person she walks by singing to themselves or a dance group practicing with the windows open. She knew that after their trip to America and their Sunny Day Song performance, their popularity skyrocketed and that µ’s became some sort of sacred name for aspiring idols everywhere, but that didn’t mean she got used to it. Even though she loved singing and dancing, she always considered herself a cloth designer first and an idol second. As such, she was almost paying more attention to the way the girls’ clothes were sewed than their actual performance.<br/>
When looking at those, she thought about how much she loved those idol dresses. For every dancing outfit she created, she always tried to envision how the girl that would wear it usually moves, what the choreography requires her to do and her body type. For some of them, like Honoka and Hanayo, she would even consider upcoming price reductions in cake or rice shops to slightly adjust the sizes in advance. Those moments were very precious to her and, even if she got to work in the haute couture milieu in Europe, a part of her knew for sure that it wouldn’t be the same as creating those scene attires.<br/>
Hanayo, however, was completely focused on the show the girls were doing. She had dreamed to be an idol since she was a child and she had fulfilled it, but one year after their disband, it started to feel like it was centuries ago for the girl who was now at the start of her third year in Otonokizaka. She couldn’t refrain from being a bit envious about those girls that were on that scene.<br/>
Maybe it wasn’t her best decision to agree with the disband and the “our voices belong to µ’s” idea after all? Hanayo didn’t find much sense in a life where she was out of the idol world. She studied to become a librarian, sure, but this was only her plan B. Her heart would always belong to singing and dancing. It was her dream and she felt more and more like she hadn’t really lived it to the fullest.<br/>
Watching the group dancing was becoming difficult for her and she pressed Kotori to move forward again, pretending to feel embarrassed because they were the ones to come up with the original performance.</p><p>When the time starting to draw near, they went to the scene where Tsubasa and Erena’s discourse was supposed to happen. There was already a crowd gathering in front of it and its impatience was filling the air itself. The two friends approached the backstage entrance without being recognized by anyone and were greeted by a bodyguard who let them pass.<br/>
They were behind a high curtain, hidden from the public. There, Tsubasa and Erena were finishing to prepare for their discourse. They were dressed in the same outfits as their Shocking Party performance. However, Kotori noticed that there were a few differences with the clothes from their original live.</p><p>“I can see that nothing escapes your expert eye Kotori” Erena said with an appreciative look.<br/>
“We asked for the colors to be lighter and replaced some of the accessories.” Tsubasa continued as they both walked to their guests to greet them.<br/>
“We are really happy to be here, the festival is fantastic, you did an awesome job for the organization.” Hanayo said as they shook hands<br/>
“However, we were really surprised you invited us. I’m guessing there is something you are not telling us…” Kotori stated, her eyes locked on Tsubasa’s.</p><p>There was a moment of silence, broken by Tsubasa’s laugh.</p><p>“Hahaha, yes it’s true I have another reason than simply wanting to see you two. However, it’s not something you should be worried about. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. But this is related to what we will do on this scene and we don’t want to spoil you the surprise, right Erena?”</p><p>They winked at each other and smiled as they pointed at a space with two chairs next to the scene.</p><p>“Well, it’s almost time for us to go. We asked for that place to be as discrete as possible when the staff put up this scene. You should be able to watch everything from the side without being seen by the audience. We’ll talk again once it’s done, ok?” Tsubasa continued as she walked Kotori and Hanayo to their seats.</p><p>The two ex-µ’s members agreed, even though they were still confused about what their host just told them. Kotori, in particular, thought that this looked very fishy. Hanayo was more curious to see what the truth behind the A-RISE remaining members’ words was.<br/>
They started to hear the crowd scream as the curtain started to move near them. The girls could see Erena and Tsubasa move forward and salute their audience. After some time, the cheers died and Tsubasa started to talk.</p><p>“Thank you for coming here today everyone. I hope you enjoy the festival so far.”</p><p>She paused for the spectators to let out some sort of roar meaning they were indeed having a good time.</p><p>“We are happy to hear it.” She continued. “Our goal today was to remind people of what happened to Anju last year without making it feel like a scolding.”<br/>
“I never believed that Anju was doing … what she was doing back then.” Erena continued. “We could see that there was something up with how she acted, how she would never let us in her life, but we never really paid attention to it. We thought she was simply shy.”</p><p>They continued to talk for the next 45 minutes about their relationship with Anju when she was still alive. They told stories about their concerts together, how they would prepare and the details they didn’t notice back then that could have let them know that Anju was doing heavy drugs. They spoke about the people that helped them and their experience in general during that trial. They ended their talk speaking about their opinion on music.</p><p>“We want everyone to believe with us that our arts, no matter how different we all are from each other, can bring us closer and make those differences disappear for a while.” Erena declared. “I guess this might sound a bit ironic given Tsubasa and me left for so long after Anju’s death, but our silence ended today.”</p><p>The crowd didn’t understand what was happening and why they were ending the discourse that way. Kotori and Hanayo were hung to Erena’s lips.</p><p>“Today, we both feel ready to come back to the world of music, but we intend to do things differently this time. A-RISE may be no more, but B-LIVE is at its start and we can’t wait to let you learn more about what we plan to do.” </p><p>Tsubasa turned her head to the two µ’s ex-members for a short time before going back to the crowd.</p><p>“We are hoping to perform with a special guest we are not yet ready to announce in two months. All of the benefits from that day will go to the Anju Yuuki foundation. We will move forward, but we will never forget the past.”<br/>
“We want to thank you again for coming here today, for listening to us, for listening to the various people present today and for the donations you would have done to the foundation. We wish you the best and we hope you enjoy the rest of the day.” Erena ended.</p><p>The both of them bowed under the applause from the audience. From the backstage, Kotori could hear the exclamations and cheers from the mass of people. Hanayo was so overjoyed herself that she probably didn’t hear much of that part. Kotori wasn’t even sure her friend felt it when she grabbed her to take her to their hosts who just left the scene.</p><p>“So, did you like it?” Tsubasa started.<br/>
“It’s amazing! I’m so happy you are back! You left such a hole in the idol world when you left and now it is about to be filled again! Well, not really filled since Anju is still dead, but still filled a bit? I’m sorry, I don’t know what I say anymore…” Hanayo declared with sparkling eyes and all the excitement of the world in her voice.<br/>
“It’s great for you two to be back to music, but there is something bothering me.” Kotori said with a lot more calm than her friend. “You mentioned you would have one special guest for your performance, but you invited us two. So, why invite us both?”<br/>
“Thank you Hanayo and I see you go straight to the point Kotori; this is something I like a lot. We indeed want one of you with us on that scene, but we have another question for the other. I’ll start by the scene if you allow me.” Erena replied. “Hanayo, I’m sure you know the three pillars of an idol group. Could you tell me about it, please?”<br/>
“An idol needs to have a cool aura. An idol needs to have a natural and contagious smile. An idol needs to look pure.” She immediately recited.<br/>
“Thank you. This is actually one of the main reasons we formed a group of three with A-RISE. People often told me I had that ‘cool aura’ around me, that Tsuba had a very cute smile and that Anju looked very pure and innocent. However, now, the pure spot is empty, and this is where you come into play my dear Hanayo.”<br/>
“What? Me? Are you sure about that?”<br/>
“We are absolutely certain, yes.” Tsubasa continued. “We believe you are the most suited to join us as we already know you and we believe you will be a great addition to the group. We also think that your singing voice and your dancing moves are really good. Erena and me really see you as the epitome of purity. We do not expect an answer today, so take your time. Here, take this.”<br/>
She gave a piece of paper and a CD to Hanayo. The title at the top of the paper was “Never gone”.<br/>
“These are the lyrics to our song as well as the music. We highlighted the parts that you would sing if you accept.”<br/>
Hanayo stayed in aw, looking at the items in her shivering hands.<br/>
“Now, Kotori.” Erena said going back to her. “We said that we wanted to be three on the scene, but there is a place for you in the backstage. We want you to be the lead designer for our costumes and the visual part of our video clips.”<br/>
“Really? I would have expected you to get a professional for this. Why would you choose me?”<br/>
“Because we saw all the costumes you made for µ’s.” Erena replied. “Anju was the one that made ours and she would sometimes look at what you had done for inspiration. She spoke about your outfits as works of art and, to be fair, we all agreed about that. You may not have the public acknowledgement of your work or a status of professional designer yet, but we consider you a prodigy in the world of clothing and we believe we should try to get you to join us. Your idol outfits are too amazing to be left to only school idols, don’t you think?”<br/>
“I’m not sure about this… This is very sudden…”<br/>
“I understand it might be. Same as for Hanayo, take the time for pondering. We don’t want the two of you to decide on an impulse and regret joining us. We will now leave you because I’m starting to hear the fans out there. You two should go with the technical staff so you don’t get harassed by journalists. We hope to hear from you soon.”</p><p>The two B-LIVE members said their goodbyes and left to go outside. Their secret guests heard questions and saw flashes from cameras.</p><p>“Kotori, I want to do it.” Hanayo declared, breaking the silence between them after a while.<br/>
“A part of me wants too, but I’m not sure I should listen to it…”<br/>
“I don’t understand you. Why would you want to stop creating idol outfits when not only are you immensely talented for it, but you also seem to enjoy it a lot.”<br/>
The honest answer Kotori should have said was “Because I am scared”, but the words that came out of her mouth were different.<br/>
“Because maybe my true path lies somewhere else. Maybe I should study under a bigger name before creating my own cloth line. This is probably safer for me to hone my skills first and use them afterwards.”<br/>
“I understand that this is safer, but is it what you want to do?”<br/>
“I … I’m not sure… Maybe? I don’t know… I need some time to think about it.”<br/>
“I’ll talk about it with my parents, but I’ll do all I can to join them. I want to be a part of B-LIVE. I hope you’ll join us too.”</p><p>There was a fire in Hanayo’s eyes Kotori hadn’t seen in a long time. A flame of devotion towards idols that Tsubasa and Erena just rekindled. Did she also have that look in her eyes when she made outfits for µ’s? Did she have that look when she was looking at that group performing Snow Halation? Did she … Did she lose it when µ’s disbanded? A part of her wanted that passion to devour her and she had an intuition that she would not achieve that by designing clothes for something else than live shows.</p><p>“Let’s leave this place. We’ll see what the future holds for us soon enough.” Kotori said as she started to move in the direction of the technical staff.</p>
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